I don’t know how productive Peyton Hillis is going to be next week. Just like I didn’t know how productive he would be last week. Or Sunday vs. the Jets.

Or ever.

All I know about Hillis is that he was the best player in the league named Peyton on Sunday. Oh, and that he was named after Walter Payton because his dad loved to watch Sweetness run.

One more thing about Hillis: He’s emerging as the poster boy for the Broncos’ season. Jay Cutler is a more important player and Eddie Royal has made bigger plays, but Hillis embodies the guts and resiliency the Broncos have displayed in what ranks as one of the wildest rides in franchise history.

Hillis’ rushing yardage for the past month: 24, 44, 74 and 129. Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess. He was, after all, drafted to be a blocking fullback. And Selvin Young, after all, is expected to return one of these weeks from a strained groin muscle.

Question is, who’s the starter at tailback when that happens? It says here that Hillis, until further notice, is the man. Mike Shanahan can’t take him out of the lineup, not after all he has done and all he has provided to the players’ collective psyche.

The Broncos could have folded in the midst of all the injuries, but, thanks in large part to Hillis’ toughness and determination, they’ve gotten better.

We have a technical term for that kind of thing in the newspaper business. It’s called a great story.

Follow Jim Armstrong’s sports updates on The Jimmy Page at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. And read his columns on Sundays at denverpost.com/jimmy.

Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson had butterflies before Sunday's game against the Detroit Red Wings. It wasn't because of the big-name opponent, but rather his return from a 13-game injury absence and being stoked to rejoin a team in a playoff push and looking for its third postseason appearance in 10 years.